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OSU football: Parker Graham is offensive line's Mr. Versatile

No one exemplifies versatility more than Graham. He's lined up at every spot on the line at some point in his career.

By Gina Mizell •
Published: August 21, 2013

STILLWATER — Then there was that time Parker Graham played center.

It was a short-lived experiment during Oklahoma State's winter training in 2010. With Andrew Lewis gone — and with Grant Garner yet to emerge as Lewis' successor — offensive line coach Joe Wickline wanted several players to try their hand at snapping the football.

OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY / OSU COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Oklahoma State offensive line coach Joe Wickline gives instruction to lineman Parker Graham (right) during practice on August 2, 2013. Wickline is entering his 9th season at Oklahoma State. Photo by KT KING, The Oklahoman

“It was atrocious,” Graham recalled with a laugh. “It was bad. I actually ended up being pretty good at it (eventually). I ended up playing tackle that year, so it was no big deal there.”

Wickline, of course, is known to flip and flop and mix and match his way to concocting a consistently sound offensive line. That means learning multiple positions is a requirement for any player who steps into Wick's World.

No one exemplifies that versatility more than Graham as the Cowboys move closer to the start of the 2013 season. He's lined up at every spot on the line at some point in his career, whether it was in a game, a practice or a random offseason workout.

That certainly makes Graham valuable. But Wickline recently went even further than that, calling Graham one of the top offensive linemen — and thus, one of the most underrated, based on preseason projections — in the Big 12.

“You're going to have a difficult time finding a bunch better than him,” Wickline said. “He's tall, he's long and he's a very serious guy about his game. He's got a ridiculously good bend and is quick off the ball.

Graham first occasionally cracked the starting lineup as a sophomore in 2011, primarily lining up at right tackle. Then just before fall camp began in 2012, he flipped to the left side when projected starter Michael Bowie was dismissed. During this past spring, he worked some at right guard, the spot Lane Taylor vacated after four seasons. And when Wickline rattled his first unit earlier this fall, Graham was at left guard.

“I was switched around so much as a young guy in the program,” Graham said, “it kind of just became not even a big deal to me to just do whatever Coach Wick needed me to do.”